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YouTube MCP server

Short answer

ScrapeIO runs a hosted MCP server that gives Claude, Cursor, Codex and other AI agents 19 read-only YouTube tools, such as youtube_channel, youtube_channel_videos, youtube_video. Add https://scrapeio.com/mcp with your API key; there is nothing to install or run. Calls cost the same credits as the API and new accounts get 100 free credits.

Server URLhttps://scrapeio.com/mcp
TransportStreamable HTTP, hosted. Nothing to install.
Authx-api-key header or Bearer token
YouTube tools19 (17 listed directly, 2 through call_endpoint)
AccessRead-only public data
PriceSame credits as the API. 100 free on signup.

Tools

ToolWhat it returnsCredits
youtube_channelYouTube channel: subscribers, total views, video count, description.1
youtube_channel_videosA channel's uploads (videos and Shorts), newest first, with views, likes and comments.1
youtube_videoOne YouTube video or Short by URL: views, likes, comments, duration, tags.1
youtube_commentsComments on a YouTube video.1
youtube_searchSearch YouTube videos with full stats.2
youtube_downloadDirect MP4 stream URLs for a video (360p with audio, plus every format).2
youtube_transcriptA YouTube video's captions as text, with timestamps.1
youtube_playlistA playlist's details and its videos, with views and likes.1
youtube_channel_playlistsA channel's public playlists.1
youtube_channel_shortsA channel's Shorts, newest first, with views and likes.1
youtube_channel_livesA channel's past and current live streams.1
youtube_comment_repliesReplies to one YouTube comment.1
youtube_search_typeaheadSearch suggestions YouTube shows as you type.1
youtube_community_postsA channel's community posts: text, images, polls, likes and comments.1
youtube_community_postOne community post with its text, images and likes.1
youtube_channel_searchSearch inside one channel's videos.1
youtube_search_hashtagVideos under a YouTube hashtag, with views and length.1
call_endpoint /v1/youtube/shorts/trendingTrending Shorts1
call_endpoint /v1/youtube/video/sponsorsVideo Sponsors1

Set it up

Get a key at scrapeio.com/login and put it in your shell profile as export SCRAPEIO_API_KEY=sk_.... Then add the server to your agent:

Claude Code

Run once in a terminal. Or install the plugin, which adds the skill too: /plugin marketplace add xhoantran/scrapeio-agent, then /plugin install scrapeio@scrapeio.

claude mcp add --transport http scrapeio https://scrapeio.com/mcp \
  --header "x-api-key: $SCRAPEIO_API_KEY"

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or .cursor/mcp.json in a project).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrapeio": {
      "url": "https://scrapeio.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-api-key": "${env:SCRAPEIO_API_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}

Codex

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml. Codex sends the key as a Bearer token, which the server accepts.

[mcp_servers.scrapeio]
url = "https://scrapeio.com/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "SCRAPEIO_API_KEY"

Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf, Hermes and other clients are on the agents page. All 33 platforms come with the same server, so one setup covers YouTube and the rest.

Prompts to try

  • Look up a YouTube account or page I name and summarize it: audience size, how often it posts, and its three best recent posts with numbers.
  • Search YouTube for "protein coffee" and rank what comes back by engagement. Show the table.
  • Pull the comments on this YouTube post and group them into questions, complaints and praise, with counts.
  • Get the transcript of this YouTube video and give me the five main points with quotes.
  • What is trending on YouTube right now? Group it by theme and say which themes look like they are growing.

The agent picks the tools, pages through results when it needs more, and reports the numbers it got back. Each answer uses the same field names on every platform, so a prompt that mixes YouTube with TikTok or YouTube works the same way.

Why a hosted MCP server

  • No scraping inside the agent. Browsing YouTube from an agent runs into login walls and changing pages. A tool call returns clean JSON in seconds.
  • One schema. handle, followers, plays, likes and created_at mean the same thing on every platform, so the model does not have to translate.
  • Pay per call. No monthly plan for an agent that runs now and then. Failed and cached calls are free.

Questions

Is the YouTube MCP server free?

Connecting is free and new accounts get 100 free credits. After that you buy credit packs ($47 for 25,000 or $497 for 500,000). Credits never expire, and failed or cached calls cost nothing.

Do I need a YouTube account or developer key?

No. The server returns public YouTube data with your ScrapeIO key only. There is no YouTube app to register and no OAuth.

Can the agent post, like or send messages?

No. Every tool is read-only and marked readOnlyHint, so clients can run them without a write warning.

Which clients work?

Any client that speaks Streamable HTTP: Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code agent mode, Windsurf, Hermes and others. It is also in the official MCP registry as com.scrapeio/scrapeio.

Why are some YouTube tools reached through call_endpoint?

To keep the tool list short in every client's context, the core tools are listed directly and the rest are one call away: the agent finds them with list_endpoints and runs them with call_endpoint. It pays the same credits either way.

Prefer code? The same data is on the YouTube API page.

100 free credits, no card. Credits never expire.

Get API key

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